Console Corner: FIFA 18 Nintendo Switch review

FIFA 18 is out on Nintendo Switch and has been suffering from poor review scores but I think many are missing the point.

In fairness it’s easy to see why, after all the Switch is viewed - and rightly so given its price - as a home console.

But it is a tough one in terms of what category the game falls under and I have looked at it from the point of view that it is a portable... and portable FIFA can only be a good thing right?

Reviews have somewhat harshly labelled FIFA as a poor relation to its home console cousin and again if you are looking at it in black and white and judging it as a home console game then there is no escaping that fact.

But when you hold FIFA 18 Switch - as a portable game - up to the likes of FIFA’s past PS Vita, 3DS and other mobile versions it sits comfortably at the very top as the best ever made.

In fact I would go as far as to say that even comparing it to its current console cousin on PS4 and Xbox One for the purposes of a review is poor form.

Yes FIFA 18 Switch does lack many of the features and typical EA gloss that make the game so appealing.

But the gameplay holds up brilliantly and as I said, this is FIFA. On a handlheld. That can only be a good thing.

The matches are really enjoyable and being able to play with a friend using one Joy-Con each is awesome.

It could be argued there are not enough modes to get longevity from the game. But again my counter argument is that this is a handheld, predominantly for playing when you’re out and about on public transport or holiday or what have you, quick 20 and 30 minute blasts here and there... well at least that’s how I tend to use my Switch.

The biggest drawback - and where it loses most ground on other versions is the fact you can’t play online with friends, a key component for any FIFA.

So while FIFA 18 on Switch is a tentative and far from perfect version of this worldy of a sports sim, it in no way deserves the hammering it has been taking from elsewhere so I hope this redresses the balance somewhat.